Paid family leave programs spread the costs of time devoted to family care. The financial support they offer also nudges fathers to engage more directly with newborns, tweaking traditional gender roles.

Women pay a high price for family commitments. A Pew Research Center survey in October reports that 51 percent of mothers who have children under 18 and who have ever worked for pay have taken a significant amount of time off to care for a child or family member — but only 16 percent of fathers. Not coincidentally, 51 percent of mothers, but only 16 percent of fathers, say that being a working parent has made it harder for them to advance in their job or career.